O-879.1

•

low relief

•

An Inuit man teaches a boy to hunt

Low relief – An Inuk Man Teaches a Boy to Hunt

This panel depicting an Inuk man and a child hunting a bear is one of several low-relief panels making up the History of Canada frieze that spans over 30 metres in the foyer of the House of Commons. Designed by Eleanor Milne early into her tenure as Dominion Sculptor, the series of panels is a visual representation of Canada’s history, starting with scenes of Indigenous peoples at one end and a depiction of Confederation at the other.. Milne and two assistant sculptors carved the panels in Indiana limestone in a style that reflects the architectural aesthetic of the original Parliament buildings.

Dominion Sculptor – Rose Eleanor Milne

Eleanor Milne was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1925. Her interest in art was wide-ranging in 1945, she received a diploma from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts School of Art and Design. She studied anatomy at McGill University, then engraving and book illustration at the Central School for Arts and Crafts in London, England. She also studied sculpture at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal and Syracuse University.

Milne was the first woman appointed Dominion Sculptor of Canada. From 1962 until she retired in 1993, she led the team of artisans who maintain the parliamentary precinct’s decorative elements. She designed and executed significant new works for Parliament, including 2 series of stone carvings and 14 large-scale stained glass windows in the House of Commons. Milne was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1998 and received numerous honours for her body of work. She died in Ottawa in 2014.